East Brunswick power developer suspends plan to build coal plant in Michigan

Plans for a 750-megawatt coal-fired power plant to be built in Michigan by an East Brunswick-based power developer have been suspended, citing regulatory and economic uncertainties.

LS Power said today its proposed plant in Midland has faced many obstacles. The company partly blames a state law passed last year that limited competition for customers at the state's regulated utilities.

AP Photo/Lenny IgnelziA power plant in California built by New Brunswick-based developer LS Power. LS Power today announced they are suspending plans to build a coal power plant in Michigan.

A partner in the project, Houston-based Dynegy Inc., already had dissolved various ventures with LS Power in January.

Coal plants around the country have been shelved or delayed because of construction costs, uncertainty in the credit market and worries that Congress will regulate carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade system. Plants also are routinely opposed by environmentalists.